27 May 2021 (US)
Friends (Warner Brothers, 1994-2004) has a problematic history. Its prescience today, attributable to the rise of streaming, also indicates that Western culture hasn’t moved on from the patriarchal values that
Friends romanticizes through humor. The 2021
Friendsreunion special, streaming on HBO Max, shows the hunger of Western culture and wider
Friends’ viewership for American nostalgia with entrenched bias that disguises itself as progressivism.
Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), a member of the show’s leading six-part ensemble, exhibits a dangerous patriarchal instinct. He uses pity to get forgiveness. In Season 2, Episode 8 (“The One with the List”) Rachel (Jenifer Aniston) catches him making a list of pros and cons to help him choose a partner: either Rachel herself or his current girlfriend Julie (Lauren Tom). Rachel sees “Spoiled” written about herself under “cons”.